Sleeping over nine hours and Fibro

[Smily]

I've just been reading about how bad is sleeping over eight hours and a half - it seems to be almost as bad as not sleeping eight, although it depends on the person's genes.

With my fatigue I usually sleep a minimun of twelve hours, but I have been for the last few weeks not being able to sleep for an unknown reason really. I guess it's understood my concern about the hours I sleep. I came across people here before who also needs this amount of time to sleep. Has anyone found a good article on this specialised on Fibro or Chronic Fatigue?

What's your opinion on this? I mean if your body is to weak to exist before a minimun of hours over nine, how bad could it be to provided with rest? At the end of the day your body needs more rest than usual when it's not working right, doesn't it?

[rainbowdancer]

Hi Smily I have the same problem I have Cronic virol fatigue syndrome and FM and I too sleep for 9 to 12 hrs some times, like if I go to bed at twelve I lay awake till 2/3 I then fall asleep and dose on and off till midday and sometimes beyond. I do feel that if your body needs that amount of sleep then sometimes you have to give in!!

When I first got CVFS I was sleeping 18hrs a day then I would be up for a few hrs and have to go back to bed, I would then sleep another 18 or so hrs. Only drinking very little and yet I put on a lot of weight.

I have tried the alarm and making myself get up only to be falling asleep in the afternoon and sleeping then for 6+ hrs so not really helped!!

I do sometimes tho not sleep at all , a form of insomnia I supose but then at 7 ok or around that time I will dose off and wake with a jump to find it is 4 in the aft: so I will actually have been in bed16 hrs and I am still tired. I find this happens when my fibro kicks in a flare up.

I am trying at the moment to keep an eye on how my sleep patern is and will try to get 8 hrs sleep back into my regime .

Good luck with your journey it is a hard one but there are lots of us here to help each other. I for one am so glad I found this forum x

Hugs x x x

Rainbowdancer

[Hidden]

Hello Smily, you posted an interesting question. I have CFS/ME as well as Fibromyalgia and sometimes the exhaustion I feel is suffocating, I just have to go to bed and rest. The frustrating thing is that I don't actually feel better after hours and hours in bed, which is typical of the condition.

This is an exerpt from our main site which explains the fatigue element of Fibromyalgia -

"Chronic fatigue is common with Fibro and this is often linked with the non-restorative sleep that is typical of Fibro. With this non-restorative sleep, a Fibro sufferer's brain tends to wake them up slightly every time they get into the deep sleep that is needed for physical rejuvenation. This can lead to more fatigue, more pain and other symptoms.1 12 The fatigue of Fibro is not like being a bit tired all the time: it can hit suddenly, leaving a Fibro sufferer almost unable to stand; it can be overwhelming, making it impossible to do anything at all; you can feel so tired that it seems impossible to even lift your head."

Here is a link to our main site for more info -

fibroaction.org/Pages/What-...

It is hard to differentiate whether the fatigue is caused by your Fibro or whether it is CFS. The best way of tackling your fatigue is by learning to pace yourself which is a treatment your GP can refer you for. By pacing yourself with regular rest periods you will find your sleep pattern becomes more regulated and you won't actually need half a day in bed sleeping. It's quite a slow process learning how to pace, but it can work and improve your quality of life and general well being.

Your last comment about your body 'needing more rest than usual when it's not working right' isn't necessarily so with Fibromyalgia. You can actually make yourself feel worse with too much sleep and too much rest, it really needs to be regulated so you feel the benefit.

[Cat53]

My 17 year old grandson has CFS and his sleep pattern is completely shot. From my discussions with others with knowledge of CFS it would appear that this syndrome completely alters your internal body clock.,.

[Hidden]

Yes it can do Cat53, but it is possible to reverse your body clock and re-train it through a combination of pacing and rest periods. It is possible to regulate sleep and wake times and this in turn makes you feel better, have more energy and have a better quality of life too. I wouldn't have believed this, but I was taught how to pace and I actually re-trained my body clock and I feel much better for it.

Regarding your grandson, remember he is a teenager, only 17 - teenagers notoriously have confused body clocks and could sleep all day long. My youngest son is 19 and he is almost allergic to daylight, he could sleep all day if I let him and he is perfectly fit and healthy with no health condition. He wanders around in a sleepy daze in the day time and at night he comes alive, typical teenage behaviour. Has your grandson been diagnosed with CFS?!